Ex-Sunderland and Man United striker delivers verdict on Regis Le Bris and impressive top flight return
The latest Sunderland news, writes Peder Leufstedt Nyström.
Newly promoted Sunderland have been the surprise of the season so far, having stunned the Premier League in their return to the top flight.
Despite the 1-0 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage that saw the Black Cats slipping down the table, they are sitting seventh in the league 12 games into the campaign, still in contention for spot in European football. The success has delighted Frenchman Luis Saha, who after many seasons with Manchester United and Everton, had a stint at the Stadium of Light under Northern Irish manager Martin O´Neil, following the expiration of Saha's contract with Tottenham.
He joined the club in the summer window 2012, but his time in the North East was short-lived, as his contract was terminated in January the same season after failing to score in 11 appearances. Sunderland went on to narrowly avoid relegation, after former West Ham cult hero Paolo Di Canio was brought in late to salvage the campaign.
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However, this year is looking much more promising at Wearside, and Saha believes that the club has put down the groundwork for a successful campaign. In an interview with outlet punditarena.com, he said, “I think Sunderland have done really well. At this moment in time they’re in a very good position.”
Sunderland had a busy summer at the transfer market, reportedly spending in excess of £180 million on squad reinforcements ahead of their Premier League return. While losing the likes of Tom Watson and starlet Jobe Bellingham, Régis Le Bris brought in former Arsenal-midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen and Brian Brobbey from Ajax Amsterdam while bolstering the defence with additions like Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo Mandava and Omar Alderete.
They also managed to secure Enzo Le Fée on a permanent basis after his impressive loan spell helped the club win promotion from the Championship. Regarding Sunderland’s transfer activity, Saha paid credit to the leadership, as he believes they “did brilliantly" in “signing the right players, keeping the right ones from last season, and managing expectations”.
Although the Black Cats have shown promise early on in the season, Saha insists that consistency is key, and that the upcoming months are crucial in securing a Premier League contract and possibly even a shock bid for European competition.
“There’s a great momentum behind the team and they have to maintain that and ride it for as long as they can. But the Premier League can spring a surprise, you can get trapped in complacency. Sometimes you play well for a month or two, and then next, you have one bad game and everything goes off the rails. Things change so quickly,” he added.
“If you lose three or four games in a row, everything changes, the mood switches. I think if they can keep playing well into February, they’ll be safe.”
The Black Cats are facing a crucial weekend clash on Saturday against AFC Bournemouth, who are impressing under the leadership of Andoni Iraola, sitting in ninth on the same points total. A win at the Stadium of Light could push the Black Cats a step closer to an unlikely European adventure, but a loss would see Régis Le Bris’ side overtaken by the Cherries in their race for continental football.
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